Malay Children Research Articles

The cultural roots of free will beliefs: How Singaporean and U.S. Children judge and explain possibilities for action in interpersonal contexts.

Making sense of human actions involves thinking about both endogenous influences (the internal mental states of agents) and exogenous influences (social, moral, and interpersonal constraints). Culture impacts how we weight the relative causal influence of these two influences. To examine these cultural influences in depth, we asked 147 4-11-year-olds in 3 cultural groups (Singaporean Chinese, Singaporean Malay, and U.S. Americans) about the possibility of acting on desires that go against social, moral, and interpersonal norms (i.e., "free will," defined as the ability to do otherwise). By age 4, U.S. children were more likely to endorse the freedom to act against norms than Singaporean children, and these cultural differences were more prevalent at older ages. Children's explanations mirrored between- and within-culture differences in causal beliefs about action: Both groups of Singaporean children referenced interdependent causes/consequences in their explanations than U.S. children, and Singaporean Malay children referenced more interdependent causes/consequences than Singaporean Chinese children. Singaporean children were more likely to elaborate on lack of free will by referencing punishment and/or having to seek permission from authorities, revealing a local cultural influence of growing up in an authoritarian society. These results underscore the critical role of culture in shaping how children understand mind, self, and action. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The Functions of University of Leiden’s Malay Language Reading Materials Among Malaysian Children

The discovery of special collection of Malay language children’s stories at University of Leiden, Netherlands proves that the traditional Malay community cares for appropriate reading material for children. Based on Teuku Iskandar's note in the Catalogue of Malay, Minangkabau, and South Sumatran Manuscripts in The Netherlands, there are many stories of children in the archipelago that are stored in University of Leiden’s Library, Netherlands. However, in this study the researchers only examine three stories in the Children's Story 26 May 1862 Collection. The stories in the collection do not have specific titles, only known as Story 1, Story 2 and Story 3 and 2 stories are contained in the collection of Parable stories. This disclosure is made because there is an opinion that the folklore today is hardly recognizable by the younger generation. This universal issue encourages the researchers to look into old Malay manuscripts and their relevance in the context of children today. Hence the objectives of this study are to classify and analyze folklore functions towards children. Hence, the method of the study involves 450 children randomly chosen according to the zones, the north, south, east and west zones of Peninsular Malaysia, as well as the Sabah and Sarawak zones. The findings show that there are still folk tales that have certain functions that can benefit children. The findings also show that children today are less vulnerable to the stories of their ancestral heritage.

Differences in head size and shape during the growth of Deutero Malay children

Introduction: The growth periods of 0-18 years old can be studied with anthropometry by identifying the head size and shape of the human head. Study on vertical, transverse, and horizontal cephalic indexes can understand differences and growth between sexes and age groups. This study was aimed to analyse the averages and differences in the head size and shape of Deutero Malay children in different age groups. Methods: This research was a descriptive analytic study with cross-sectional design. The sample of 192 Deutero Malay children consisted of boys and girls with an age range of 7-18 years old. Measurement of head height, length, and width was performed to calculate the differences of vertical, transverse, and horizontal cephalic index values by sex and age group, and the classification of the head shape based on the cephalic index values. Results: There was a difference of vertical, transverse, and horizontal by age group, with p = 0.000 (p < 0.05). The average of vertical, transverse, and horizontal cephalic index values was significantly higher in each age group. The average horizontal cephalic index was significantly higher in boys and girls. There was no significant difference in the head shape by the vertical and horizontal cephalic index in all age groups. The highest vertical cephalic index found was chamaecephalic (68%). The highest transverse cephalic index was tapeiocephalic (99%). The highest horizontal cephalic index was hyperbrachycephalic (80%). Conclusion: There is similar head shape of Deutero Malay children, although there may be increasing head size along with age. Keywords: Deutero Malay, head shape, cephalic index, transverse cephalic index, horizontal cephalic index, vertical cephalic index

Analisis Kebijakan Kurikulum di Tsanawi Muassasah Assaqofatul Islamiyah Pondok Pombing di Pattani, Selatan Thailand

The education curriculum applied by Muassasah Assaqofatul Islamiyah has so far not supported the development and understanding of Pattani's Malay children towards Islamic law. The main issues discussed were the Curriculum Policy Analysis in Tsanawi Muassasah Assaqofatul Islamiyah Pondok Pombing in Pattani (South Thailand). The purpose of this study was to find out in depth about the implementation and development of educational curriculums carried out in the Assaqofatul Islamiyah Muassasah. The method used in this study is qualitative descriptive. Data collection techniques using interviews were submitted to 18 respondents. In this processing technique there are 2 (two) activities, namely editing and tabulating. Data analysis techniques used in this study are qualitative descriptive techniques with data obtained in the form of information or descriptions of sentences (qualitative data) that are not related to numbers. The results showed that the educational objectives applied by Assaqofatul Islamiyah Islamic Education were not appropriate to the times, curriculum content was still lacking in forming students to achieve educational goals, the media did not fulfill learning, strategies or methods of education had not been used properly, there were still many shortcomings the process of education and learning evaluation is still not properly used. Based on an analysis of all of these factors (Education Curriculum), it can be concluded that the implementation of the education curriculum in the Assaqofatul Islamiyah (Pondok Pombing) Pattani (South Thailand) curriculum was not good enough.

Patterns of recognition of Arabic consonants by non-native children with cochlear implants and normal hearing

Objective: This study examined the patterns of recognition of Arabic consonants, via information transmission analysis for phonological features, in a group of Malay children with normal hearing (NH) and cochlear implants (CI).Method: A total of 336 and 616 acoustic tokens were collected from six CI and 11 NH Malay children, respectively. The groups were matched for hearing age and duration of exposure to Arabic sounds. All the 28 Arabic consonants in the form of consonant–vowel /a/ were presented randomly twice via a loudspeaker at approximately 65 dB SPL. The participants were asked to repeat verbally the stimulus heard in each presentation.Results: Within the native Malay perceptual space, the two groups responded differently to the Arabic consonants. The dispersed uncategorized assimilation in the CI group was distinct in the confusion matrix (CM), as compared to the NH children. Consonants /ħ/, /tˁ/, /sˁ/ and /ʁ/ were difficult for the CI children, while the most accurate item was /k/ (84%). The CI group transmitted significantly reduced information, especially for place feature transmission, then the NH group (p < 0.001). Significant interactions between place-hearing status and manner-hearing status were also obtained, suggesting there were information transmission differences in the pattern of consonants recognition between the study groups.Conclusion: CI and NH Malay children may be using different acoustic cues to recognize Arabic sounds, which contribute to the different assimilation categories’ patterns within the Malay perceptual space.

Children customary clothe in Malay head shaving – cukur jambul ceremony for the communal

The Malay Archipelago, Malay community have a unique tradition and custom that are align to their belief and lifestyle. Head Shaving ceremony is a kind of a ceremony in Malay tradition and custom. This is one of a kind to welcoming the birth of a new baby into the family. Each custom is regarded as unique and special, that has been celebrated for specific purpose that lies in the same Islamic taught and belief. This study aims to discover the children customary clothe in Malay head shaving ceremony or Cukur Jambul that focuses on the Malay tradition. Other than that, it is to document the knowledge with regards to the Malay children starts from baby. This study emphasizes Meyer Schapiro’s on theory of style in the context of artefact or material culture object. The research paper applies the qualitative method due to its flexibility views from the informants, observation is made due to the photos collection during the head shaving ceremony. The Malay was maintaining to use Malay traditional clothe in most of their custom ceremonies until today. All in all, this study will provide invaluable source of references to the Malay custom and culture that benefited the royalty’s family, researchers, academicians, scholars, students, cultural activist, and museum curators in archiving about the customary clothe during Head Shaving ceremony.

Selective Occlusal Features of Primary Dentition in Malay Children at a Centre in Sungai Buloh

Objectives: To determine the different occlusal characteristics in primary dentition of 3 to 6 year old Malay children and to create a preliminary database for future Malaysian studies as currently none of the studies has been conducted in Malaysian population regarding the occlusal features in primary dentition. Materials and method: The subjects were within the age ranging from 3 – 6 years old attending nurseries and kindergartens located within Sungai Buloh, Selangor. Sixty subjects were screened but only 47 fulfilled the criteria to be included in this study. Intra-oral examination was done to determine the terminal plane, canine relationship, overjet, overbite and primate space in the subjects. Results: Almost two thirds of the subjects (72.34%) presented with straight terminal plane. All but one subject were observed with Class I canine relationship. 61.7% subjects were with an ideal overjet and 53.19% of subjects had an ideal overbite. The mean value for primate space in the maxilla was 2.92mm and 1.60mm in the mandible. There was no significant difference between gender in all the parameters assessed. Conclusion: The results from the study shown that only few of the subjects had a tendency of malocclusion in their permanent dentition. However, a longitudinal study should be done to follow up their occlusal feature in the permanent dentition.

Family-based intervention using face-to-face sessions and social media to improve Malay primary school children\u2019s adiposity: a randomized controlled field trial of the Malaysian REDUCE programme

BackgroundSocial media may be an effective medium by which parents could be trained to promote healthy eating behaviour and physical activity for their children. This trial evaluates the effectiveness of a family-based intervention using social media in combination with face-to-face sessions - the REDUCE (REorganise Diet, Unnecessary sCreen time and Exercise) programme - on adiposity of Malay children.MethodsFive primary schools in an urban area in Selangor, Malaysia participated in this two-arm randomized controlled field trial. Participants were parents (n = 134) and their primary school-going children 8–11 years of age who were either overweight or obese. These parent-child dyads were randomly allocated to intervention and wait-list control groups and were blinded to group assignment. The intervention was a four-week training programme using two face-to-face sessions and two Facebook sessions followed by weekly booster sessions over a three-month period using WhatsApp. The primary outcome was body mass index (BMI) z-score. Height, body weight, waist circumference and percentage of body fat were measured by blinded assessors. Data were collected at baseline (T1), immediately post-training (T2) and at three- (T3) and six-month post training (T4) and were analysed using generalized linear mixed modelling adjusted for covariates to estimate the intervention effects. Subgroup analysis was conducted for overweight and obese children.ResultsNinety-one percent of parents completed the study, 64 in intervention group and 58 in wait-list group. At the sixth month post-training, BMI z-scores were significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the wait-list group, for the all children (overweight and obese children) and within the obese subgroup ((F(6, 517) = 2.817, p = 0.010) and (F(6, 297) = 6.072, p < 0.001) respectively. For waist circumference percentile and body fat percentage, the intervention group experienced a significant reduction compared to the wait-list group, within the obese subgroup ((F(6, 297) = 3.998, p = 0.001) and within the overweight subgroup (F(6, 201) = 2.526, p = 0.022).ConclusionsThe four-month REDUCE intervention programme was effective in reducing childhood adiposity. Further research using this approach needs to be conducted including cost-effectiveness studies before implementing it in a child obesity prevention programme.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12617000844347 (7 June 2017 retrospectively registered). National Medical Research Register, Ministry of Health Malaysia: NMRR-14-685-21,874 (July 2014).

Accuracy of Different Dental Age Assessment Methods to Determine Chronological Age among Malay Children

Willems method is the most common method used for dental age assessment among Malaysian children. London Atlas method was recently introduced in 2010 and there was no study conducted using this method for Malaysian children. This study was conducted retrospectively by analyzing 150 digital dental panoramic tomograms of 5-, 10- and 15-year-old healthy Malay children attending Faculty of Dentistry, International Islamic University Malaysia within the period from 2012 to 2016. The mean age estimated using Willems method and London Atlas method were compared to the mean chronological age. All data were analysed using RStudio software. The results of the study showed that intra- and inter-examiner reliability were 0.75 and 0.82, respectively. The mean chronological age for 5, 10- and 15-year-old groups were 5.49, 10.22 and 15.39, respectively. Significant differences were observed for 5- and 10-year-old groups between London Atlas method (P<0.05) and Willems method (P<0.05) when compared to chronological age. However, no significant difference was observed for 15-year-old group (P>0.05). Willems method is more accurate in determining chronological age for the 5- and 10-year-old groups compared to London Atlas method.

“She looked like an Alien”

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the Malay children’s information needs from their experience with parental cancer using information behaviour techniques to elicit sensitive information that provided an indication of what children were thinking.Design/methodology/approachData collection adapted the participatory action research method and used participatory-based techniques that included drawings, essays and interviews. Data explication used an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. Social constructionism, learning theory and cognitive theory were used to analyse the data. In total, 32 participants took part, ten mothers with breast cancer at different stages of their cancer journey, and 32 children between 6 and 18 years old.FindingsThere are shortcomings in the provision of cancer information for Malay children. Unlike verbose and difficult to digest medical definitions and descriptions about cancer and its treatment, the Malay children defined cancer as having components made from their experiences and observations about how cancer affected their parent. The findings explain the relationship between children participants’ reaction to a health situation and the subsequent processes they undergo to resolve their state of information need.Originality/valueIt highlights the importance of determining information needs and the combined methods used to gain and interpret the experience children face with a parental cancer diagnosis. The findings about ethnic-based information problems, needs and provision for dependent children of cancer patients are one of the original contributions of this research. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is believed to be the first in-depth qualitative and highly participative study of the implications of cancer for dependent children of Malay cancer patients.

Parent's acceptance: Humanoid-robot intervention for Malay autistic children

Parent's acceptance: Humanoid-robot intervention for Malay autistic children

Educational Material using Malay Children's Folk Songs for Viola Beginners

The researchers created a method book using Malay children’s folk songs to encourage the local Malaysian teenagers to learn viola. They hope to improve the knowledge of the teenagers regarding their own music culture and to develop their abilities and playing skills faster. The research focused on compiling the contents for the method book including Malay children’s folk songs, etudes, piano accompaniments and an attached CD. The book comprises a blended learning approach using historical, theoretical, technical and musical teaching materials. 14 students (viola beginners) took part in the research. They were subjects used to evaluate the new method book that was used at the Department of Music and Music Education, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI). This article highlights the research process of creating this method book, methodology used for solving problems, design process, trial use of the book and evaluation of the book.

Prevalence of Absence of Palmaris Longus and Its Association with Gender, Hand Dominance and Absence of FDS Tendon to Little Finger Among Malay Population.

Palmaris Longus is being widely used in reconstructive, plastic and cosmetic surgeries due to its long tendon. It is the most readily available source for tendon grafting. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of absence of Palmaris Longus and its association with gender, hand dominance and absence of FDS (flexor digitorum superficialis) tendon to little finger among Malay population. An analytical cross sectional study design was used and a self-administered proforma was distributed for data collection. 1239 Malay secondary school children in Putrajaya were tested for absence of Palmaris Longus using Schaffer's test. 4 additional tests namely Thompson's test, Mishra's test I, Mishra's test II and Pushpakumar's 'two-finger sign' method were used to confirm its absence in respondents with negative Schaffer's test. Function of Flexor Digitorum Superficialis tendon to little finger was determined by flexing PIP of little finger while hyperextend the other fingers. The prevalence of absence of Palmaris Longus was 11.7%. Left side absence of Palmaris Longus was much common. There was a significant association between absence of Palmaris Longus with gender in which female had higher prevalence of absence of Palmaris Longus than male. In conclusion, the prevalence of absence of Palmaris Longus in Malay population was lower than Indian but higher than Chinese population. Females had higher prevalence of absence of Palmaris Longus and no association can be found with hand dominance and absence of Flexor Digitorum Superficialis tendon to little finger.

HISTORIOGRAFI MELAYU KAJIAN ATAS TUHFAT AL-NAFIS KARYA RAJA ALI HAJI

Tuhfat al-nafis is a historical work discussing about the Malay history until the modern era, including the explanation about the family of kingdom selangor written by Raja ali Haji Riau. Tuhfat al-Nafis is less known and studied in this century, perhaps due to the Britain colonialism, this text was not used in school as the obligatory text. Before the independence, Malay children read other Malay texts, such as Sejarah Melayu, Hikayat Abdullah, and Hikayat Hang Tua. The great work of Tuhfat al-Nafis is the most complicated and sophisticated historical work among all Malay works written before the twentieth century. This study is the ultimate work in Malay treatise and culture which increases its writer’s confidence. There are some argumentations showing that tuhfat al-nafis is a great work distinguishing it with other texts. First, historical conception of this study is wider and deeper than other Malay historical texts. Second, its conception and scope of space and time are too wide. Third, from the perspective of historiography, Raja Ali haji develops a new rule in telling the historical events. Fourth, from the perspective of language, philosophy, and historiography, Raja Ali Haji synthesize between Malay tradition and Islamic tradition. Fifth, its language style and content is easily to read and it is fun to follow its narration

Treatment effects of Reverse Twin-Block and Reverse Pull Face Mask on craniofacial morphology in early and late mixed dentition children.

Reverse Twin-Block (RTB) and Reverse Pull Face Mask (RPFM) appliances are used to correct Class III malocclusion in growing patients. Aim of this retrospective study was to compare and analyse craniofacial changes produced by RTB and RPFM in the early and late mixed dentition in Malay children with Class III malocclusion. Data consisted of pre- and post-treatment lateral cephalograms of 95 children, 49 patients with RTB and 46 patients with RPFM, divided into an early (8-9year) and late (10-11year) group. Treatment changes were assessed by the Ricketts analysis using CASSOS software, where 71 anatomic landmarks were identified in each cephalogram. Paired and independent t tests were performed for statistical comparison. Paired t test revealed significant changes in facial axis, facial angle, MD plane to FH, lower facial height, mandibular arc, maxillary convexity, U1 to APog, L1 to APog, L1 to APog angle and upper lip to E-plane measurements in RPFM, whereas significant changes were found in facial taper, U1 to APog and lower lip to E-plane values with RTB in the early treatment group. Independent t test revealed significant changes in U1 to APog, L1 to APog and U6 to PtV values in the RTB group. Post-treatment comparison of RTB and RPFM showed significant differences in L1 to APog and L1 to APog angle values. RPFM revealed more favourable craniofacial changes than RTB, particularly in the late mixed dentition stage.

Creativity Teaching Through E-Book Reading Program Among the Children in Malaysia

This study was carried out to identify the effectiveness of the literature lesson plans through E-picture book reading designed on the creativity elements; originality, elaboration and fluency. They were 42 children year 4-to-5-year old children from two private preschools in the district of Petaling Jaya, Selangor. This experimental research applied the Wallis Model of Creativity (1926) as the research framework and the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) as the instrument of study. Data was analyzed by using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). Findings indicated that there was significant difference between pre-test and post-test that carried out among the children in originality, elaboration and fluency elements of creativity with the total moderate effect size at .61. Chinese female children score higher than Malay male children in creativity. In other words, literature lesson plan through E-picture book reading is effective to inculcate the creativity among the children at the young age. Thus, the preschools and the educators should review their educational system to cultivate the creativity elements since creativity is an important criterion to produce dedicated leaders in the future.

Body Weight Status and Dietary Intakes of Urban Malay Primary School Children: Evidence from the Family Diet Study.

Malaysia is experiencing a rise in the prevalence of childhood obesity. Evidence for the relationship between dietary intake and body weight among Malaysian children is limited, with the impact of energy intake misreporting rarely being considered. This paper describes the dietary intakes of urban Malay children in comparison to national recommendations and by weight status. This cross-sectional Family Diet Study (n = 236) was conducted in five national primary schools in Malaysia (August 2013–October 2014). Data on socio-demographics, anthropometrics, 24-h dietary recalls, and food habits were collected from Malay families, consisting of a child aged 8 to 12 years and their main caregiver(s). Multivariable analyses were used to assess dietary intake-body weight relationships. The plausibility of energy intake was determined using the Black and Cole method. Approximately three in 10 Malay children were found to be overweight or obese. The majority reported dietary intakes less than national recommendations. Children with obesity had the lowest energy intakes relative to body weight (kcal/kg) compared to children in other weight categories (F = 36.21, p < 0.001). A positive moderate correlation between energy intake and weight status was identified (r = 0.53, p < 0.001) after excluding energy intake mis-reporters (n = 95), highlighting the need for the validation of dietary assessment in obesity-related dietary research in Malaysia.

A tale of two communities: intestinal polyparasitism among Orang Asli and Malay communities in rural Terengganu, Malaysia.

BackgroundIntestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are still major health problems in many developing countries including Malaysia, particularly in the poor and socioeconomically deprived rural and remote communities in Peninsular Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of IPIs and to identify the key factors associated with intestinal polyparasitism as well as to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) on IPIs among rural Orang Asli and Malay communities in Terengganu, Malaysia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 340 participants (165 Orang Asli and 175 Malay) aged ≤ 15 years from the Hulu Terengganu and Kemaman districts of Terengganu. Faecal samples were examined for the presence of intestinal parasites by using direct smear, formalin-ether sedimentation, trichrome stain, modified Ziehl Neelsen stain, in vitro cultivation in Jones’ medium, Kato Katz and Harada Mori techniques. Demographic, socioeconomic, environmental and behavioural information of the participants and their KAP for IPIs were collected by using a pre-tested questionnaire.ResultsOverall, 149 (90.3 %) Orang Asli and 43 (24.6 %) Malay children were infected by at least one parasite species. The overall prevalences of intestinal polyparasitism among the Orang Asli and Malay were 68.5 % (113/165) and 14.3 % (25/175), respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that using unsafe water supply as a source for drinking water, the presence of domestic animals, not wearing shoes when outside, not washing vegetables before consumption, not washing hands after playing with soil, indiscriminate defecation and the low level of mother’s education were the key risk factors for intestinal polyparasitism among the Orang Asli, while working mothers and the presence of domestic animals were the risk factors among the Malay children. Almost all the Malays were well aware about the IPIs while Orang Asli respondents had a poor level of related awareness.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that IPIs are highly prevalent in rural Terengganu, Malaysia. Community awareness about IPIs was found to be imperative in protecting Malay children from these infections. An integrated control programme for the prevention and control of IPIs is highly recommended for these communities, with a special emphasis on the Orang Asli population.

Assessing Body Fat of Children by Skinfold Thickness, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, and Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry: A Validation Study Among Malay Children Aged 7 to 11 Years.

This study aims to validate skinfold (SKF) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) against dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in determining body fat percentage (BF%) of Malay children aged 7 to 11 years. A total of 160 children had their BF% assessed using SKF and BIA, with DXA as the criterion method. Four SKF equations (SKFBray, SKFJohnston, SKFSlaughter, and SKFGoran) and 4 BIA equations (BIAManufacturer, BIAHoutkooper, BIARush, and BIAKushner) were used to estimate BF%. Mean age, weight, and height were 9.4 ± 1.1years, 30.5 ± 9.9 kg, and 131.3 ± 8.4 cm. All equations significantly underestimated BF% (P < .05). BIA equations had reasonable agreement with DXA and were independent of BF% with BIAManufacturer being the best equation. Although BIA underestimates BF% as compared with DXA, BIA was more suitable to measure BF% in a population that is similar to this study sample than SKF, suggesting a need to develop new SKF equations that are population specific.

The Family Diet Study: a cross-sectional study into the associations between diet, food habits and body weight status in Malay families.

Childhood obesity is becoming more common as Malaysia experiences rapid nutrition transition. Current evidence related to parental influences on child dietary intake and body weight status is limited. The present study aimed to report, among Malay families, the prevalence of energy mis-reporting and dietary relationships within family dyads. The cross-sectional Family Diet Study (n = 236) was conducted at five primary schools in central of Peninsular Malaysia. Each family consisted of a Malay child, aged 8-12 years, and their main caregiver(s). Information on socio-demographics, dietary intake and anthropometry were collected. Correlations and regression analyses were used to assess dietary relationships within family dyads. Approximately 29.6% of the children and 75.0% parents were categorised as being overweight or obese. Intakes of nutrients and food groups were below the national recommended targets for majority of children and adults. A large proportion of energy intake mis-reporters were identified: mothers (55.5%), fathers (40.2%) and children (40.2%). Children's body mass index (BMI) was positively associated with parental BMI (fathers, r = 0.37; mothers, r = 0.34; P < 0.01). For dietary intakes, moderate-to-strong (0.35-0.72) and weak-to-moderate (0.16-0.35) correlations were found between mother-father and child-parent dyads, respectively. Multiple regression revealed that maternal percentage energy from fat (β = 0.09, P < 0.01) explained 81% of the variation in children's fat intake. Clear parental dietary relationships, especially child-mother dyads, were found. Despite a significant proportion of families with members who were overweight or obese, the majority reported dietary intakes below recommended levels, distorted by energy mis-reporting. The findings of the present study can inform interventions targeting parent-child relationships to improve family dietary patterns in Malaysia.